BP PLC signed a five-year contract to use drones at its oil operations in Alaska, the first large-scale, government-approved commercial use of unmanned aircraft in the U.S.

The U.K.-based energy company said it hired California drone maker AeroVironment Inc. to use its 13.5-pound aircraft to capture and analyze data on operations at BP's Prudhoe Bay oil field, one of the largest oil fields in North America. AeroVironment will...